Weekend Event Planner

These are the 13 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

While many events in and around Dallas have either been postponed or canceled during the coronavirus pandemic, some organizations have pivoted to virtual or socially-distanced events to continue offering the masses some entertainment while we need it the most.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. While they're not all outside of the house, they all promise to provide a nice distraction from the everyday life.

Thursday, October 29

Last call for haunted houses
As one would expect, Halloween weekend is your last chance to take in the variety of haunted experiences in the Dallas area. In addition to previously-profiled events like Six Flags Over Texas presents HallowFest, Zombie Safari, Drive-Boo Halloween, and Reindeer Manor Halloween Park, this weekend will bring two new events: A behind-the-scenes tour at Dark Hour Haunted House in Plano, which was closed for the season, and a new haunted experience in Oak Cliff called Junk Yard Haunted House.

Festival of Independent Theatres
After four weeks, the 22nd Festival of Independent Theatres will come to a close this weekend. The virtual festival features six performing arts groups offering audiences something for everyone, and for the first time ever, viewing on demand and from the comfort of home. This year's lineup features original works, dance, comedy, drama, and more. All performances will be available for viewing anytime through Sunday.

Improv Arlington presents Tommy Davidson
Comedian Tommy Davidson first made a name for himself among the exceptional talent on the sketch comedy show In Living Color, and his range, from stand-up comedy and acting to music accomplishments, have earned him a reputation as a versatile performer. He'll perform six times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.

Imprint Theatreworks presents The Tree: An American Rock Musical
The Tree: An American Rock Musical aims to be an immersive journey across time and emotion re-examining the “gift” of knowledge and the nature of Good and Evil through an innovative and haunting musical narrative. The creators of the show — which includes six playwrights, the band Veteran Children, and choreographer Danielle Georgiou — have partnered to weave a collective experience that shines a light on human nature and what connects us all. The production, which offers both in-person and livestreaming options, will take place at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre on various dates through November 14.

Fair Park Drive-In Concert: Mt. Joy
Fair Park will kick off what may become a full blown drive-in concert series with a performance by indie rockers Mt. Joy. The band, which released their second studio album, Rearrange Us, earlier this year following a two-year hiatus after their self-titled debut album, is up-and-coming thanks to songs like "Silver Lining" and "Strangers." The concert will take place in Lot 8 next to Dos Equis Pavilion.

SMU Meadows School of the Arts presents the black album. 2020. resistance.
Golden Globe-winning actress, director, and playwright Regina Taylor is partnering with SMU Meadows School of the Arts for a unique, three-part theatrical project titled the black album. 2020. The project explores and addresses the question of what it is to be Black in 2020. This first part of the project will be performed live on the SMU Meadows YouTube channel by seven Meadows undergraduate and graduate acting students.

Friday, October 30

Hot 93.3 Carbaret Hallo-Screening Drive-In: Nightmare on Elm Street & Hocus Pocus
Carbaret, in collaboration with Hot 93.3, will celebrate Halloween with a special dual screening event featuring family favorite Hocus Pocus and horror classic Nightmare on Elm Street. The films will show on different screens at the same time, and each film will be ticketed separately. As always, the screenings will take place in the parking lot outside of Brizo in Richardson. All proceeds go to the North Texas Food Bank, and every car will get a complimentary bag of candy and cool swag.

Saturday, October 31

The Statler presents Scare Fare
Guests of all ages can take part in an expanded expression of the usual door-to-door trick-or-treating at The Statler’s Scare Fare. Taking place from 11 am to 6 pm, the event provides guests with a trick-or-treat kit with a map of all the candy stations located throughout the hotel, which will include each of The Statler’s four restaurants and additional action stations in the hotel lobby. Each stop on the map will offer a unique treat germane to that venue. The Garden Court “Graveyard” will feature Halloween games, a magician, a fortune teller, and more.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Dia de los Muertos Concert
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present a vibrant Day of the Dead concert and celebration, featuring traditional Latin American music and culture, guests artists, festivities, and fun-filled events for the whole family. Unlike the other Dallas Symphony concerts so far this season, this concert is open to the public, although seating will still be limited due to social distancing guidelines.

AMP presents Our Vote Matters: A HEXA Halloween Music Fest
Adam Munoz Productions presents Our Vote Matters, a HEXA Halloween music festival benefiting Education Unbound. The drive-in festival will feature live music by Jonathan Tyler and The Northern Lights, Heart of the City, Garrett Bryan and The Traveling City Committee, Droo's Peace Crush, Taylor Ochs Trio, and Jake Dexter and The Main Street Sound. The event will take place in the parking lot at HEXA Coworking in Richardson.

Las Colinas Day of the Dead Festival
The U.S. Mexico Cultural and Educational Foundation is partnering with the Toyota Music Factory and Visit Irving to host the Las Colinas Day of the Dead Festival. The outdoor event will feature live music and a Mexican ofrenda, a flower and candle-laden altar that traditionally commemorates departed loved ones with their favorite food and drink. The ofrenda will be specially dedicated to community members who have lost their lives to COVID-19 this year. Attendance will be limited to 150 guests; those who cannot attend in person can visit virtually via the event Facebook page.

Stomping Ground Comedy presents Lights Out! An Outdoor Comedy Experience
Lights Out is more than a comedy show; it's a comedy experience uniquely suited for the spooky season. Audience members will enjoy a performance of "The Bat," an improv show performed completely in the dark and based on the audience's worst fears and nightmares. Prior to the start of each show, there will also be a pop-up market with local vendors selling unique handmade goods. There will be two shows outside of Stomping Ground Comedy Theater.

TACA Concert on the Green: Abraham Alexander
The Arts Community Alliance will present the first TACA Concert on the Green, featuring Fort Worth native and singer-songwriter Abraham Alexander. The concert will also feature special guest Misa Hylton (Global Creative Partner for MCM) and a special performance by The Grays. A socially-distanced affair at Annette Strauss Square, funds raised will benefit TACA and its mission to support excellence and impact in the arts in North Texas.

Imprint Theatreworks presents The Tree: An American Rock Musical, featuring music by Veteran Children, at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre through November 14.

Photo by Jordan Fraker

Imprint Theatreworks presents The Tree: An American Rock Musical, featuring music by Veteran Children, at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre through November 14.

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Movie review

Over-the-top The Bride! makes other Frankenstein movies seem subtle

Photo by Niko Tavernise

Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley in The Bride!.

The story of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster is now over 200 years old, with Mary Shelley’s book having been adapted or referenced in close to 500 films. Less common is the character of The Bride of Frankenstein, which existed in the original text but has more often than not been excised in adaptations. Writer/director Maggie Gyllenhaal has tried to rectify that by giving the character a big showcase in her new film, The Bride!.

Gyllenhaal has reimagined the story as one in which a woman named Ida (Jessie Buckley) becomes possessed by the spirit of Shelley (also Buckley). At the same time, the already-existing Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale) approaches Dr. Euphronius (Annette Bening), who specializes in reanimation, with the request to make him a wife. When Ida falls to her death in an “accident” involving her boyfriend (John Magaro), the ideal corpse becomes available.

After Ida’s resurrection, she and the monster become restless being studied by Dr. Euphronius and decide to break out to experience the world. The world, naturally, is not exactly welcoming to them, and soon the couple are on the run for causing mayhem, including a few murders. In hot pursuit are detective Jake Wiles (Peter Sarsgaard) and his assistant, Myrna Mallow (Penélope Cruz), as well as other authorities.

It’s clear that Gyllenhaal wanted to merge the Frankenstein story with Bonnie & Clyde, especially since she sets the film in the mid-1930s. And that wouldn’t have been a bad idea if having the monster and The Bride going on a crime spree was truly the focus of the movie. But most of the time there’s less intentionality in their misdeeds and more confusion, leading to a muddled plot with no clear direction or end goal in mind.

One of the biggest problems is that Gyllenhaal starts the energy of the film at an 11, giving her and everyone else nowhere to go but down. She dabbles in multiple different tones, at times going the straight drama route and other times making what seems like full-on camp. At one point, she even has the monster and the Bride in a dance sequence set to “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” which would be hilarious as an homage to Young Frankenstein if the film weren’t so disjointed.

Most baffling of all is what Gyllenhaal wants from The Bride character. She morphs multiple times over the course of the film, from close to unintelligible at the beginning to rough-and-tumble at the end. There are hints at the lack of control she has over her autonomy, including Shelley’s possession of her and the monster lying to her about her past, but any commentary that Gyllenhaal might be trying to make gets lost amid the oddity of the film as a whole.

Both Buckley and Bale are all-in for their performances, which definitely fall in the “love it or hate it” dichotomy. Each scene is pitched so high that there’s little nuance to either of them, and neither is on par with their previous Oscar-caliber roles. The high-powered supporting cast of Bening, Sarsgaard, Cruz, and Jake Gyllenhaal is watchable based on previous roles, but none of them elevate this particular movie.

Whatever intentions Maggie Gyllenhaal had in making The Bride! are only halfway legible in a film that can never find its tonal footing. There has rarely been subtlety in movies featuring Frankenstein’s monster and related characters, but this one makes all the others seem like stuffy dramas in comparison.

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The Bride! is now playing in theaters.

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